BERHAMPUR: Golanthara police on Friday arrested a driver for allegedly cooking up a fake robbery and misappropriating around Rs 2.10 lakh cash that belonged to his owner. The accused, Biraha Basanta Satapathy, worked for a hardware businessman Pradip Kumar Behera. On December 3, Behera sent Satapathy on his four-wheeler with some steel items to be delivered to one M Murali Mohan of Jayantipur. The latter paid Rs 2.10 lakh cash for the purpose which Satapathy had to return to his owner.
As per Satapathy, he was returning from Jayantipur with the cash when a woman asked him for a lift on Chikiti-Berhampur road near Ghatakeswar temple. He alleged that when he slowed down the car, some miscreants gheraoed the vehicle and assaulted him before fleeing with his mobile phone, money purse and the Rs 2.10 lakh cash.
Satapathy narrated the incident in front of his owner who then complained to the Golanthara police. Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M said during the investigation, it came to the fore that Satapathy had thrown his mobile phone and purse and hid the cash at his house in a bid to make it appear like loot.
“The accused was arrested and produced in court. The entire cash of Rs 2.10 lakh was also seized from his possession and handed over to the owner,” Vivek added.